How Emotional Intelligence is More Powerful than Position

Emotional intelligence is more powerful than position because emotional intelligence (EQ) enables you to influence others regardless of your position. People with both positional power and EQ are memorable leaders who make lasting positive impact on others. But do not expect people with positional power to have EQ because many do not. In fact, many male leaders do not possess EQ because of persistent gendered cultural norms in society. The cultural norms for male and female behavior have remained relatively static in the United States over the last three decades despite changes in female and male roles over that time. For example, there are more male nurses today than thirty years ago and there are more female truck drivers today than there were thirty years ago. But Americans still view males as self-confident, independent, superior, competitive, and competent and view females as gentle, empathic, expressive, helpful, and kind. Being competitive, independent, and superior can run counter to EQ which requires understanding others and acting in ways that consider the emotional states of others.

Emotional intelligence is more powerful than position because there are three advantages that emotional intelligence (EQ) provides that positional power does not. One advantage you can get from practicing EQ that you do not get from positional power is improved performance in the workplace. A second advantage you can get from practicing EQ that you do not get from positional power is the ability to influence others who are not subordinates. A third advantage you can get from practicing EQ that you do not get from positional power is improved fulfillment. This post explains each of these advantages with supporting research.

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Can Improve Workplace Performance

One way that EQ is more powerful than position is EQ can improve workplace performance in different ways. EQ has been found to correlate with job performance (1). Seventy percent of the time, people with average cognitive intelligence (IQ) outperform those with the highest IQ and the difference is explained by EQ (2). Also, emotional intelligence can help you get hired whether it is your first job, a recovery from a lay-off, or an intentional job or career change. Hiring managers are learning how to assess the EQ of candidates because they understand that EQ provides the adaptability, resilience, and collaboration skills needed for work today (3). Further, neuroscientist Dr. Marcia Goddard points out how EQ can help you navigate cognitive biases to your advantage in an interview (4). Finally, EQ makes it more likely that you will get promoted. A 2024 global survey of over 28,000 people found that the ability to understand the emotions of others and the ability to manage one’s own emotions correlated with higher salaries and promotion (5). The ability to understand the emotions of others and the ability to manage one’s own emotions appropriate to a given situation are EQ skills.

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Improves Your Ability to Influence Others

A second way that EQ is more powerful than position is EQ improves your ability to influence others who are not subordinates. The ability to influence the behavior of other people is the definition of power but not all forms of power are the same. Research shows that some forms of power decrease the performance and discretionary efforts by others while other forms of power increase the performance and discretionary efforts by others (6). For example, the use of coercive, reward, or positional power decreases the performance and discretionary efforts of other. Coercive, reward, and position power are the extent to which threats, rewards, and hierarchical position influence the behavior of others. In contrast, the use of expert or referent power increases the performance and discretionary efforts of others. Expert and referent power are the extent to which your expertise and respect drives others to want to work with you. The competence needed for expert power and the character needed for referent power are two core ingredients for building trust with others (7). Stephen M.R. Covey found that two of the four cores to building trust with others are integrity and intent. Integrity takes understanding yourself and behaving in ways consistent with your values. Intent takes understanding the needs of others and communicating in ways that meet both your needs and the needs of others. Understanding yourself and understanding others are skills developed from EQ.

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Can Put You on the Path to Fulfillment

A third and final way that EQ is more powerful than position is EQ can put you on the path to fulfillment while abuse of positional power can put you on the path to corruption and broken relationships. Research by Dr. Dacher Keltner shows that positional power leads to corruption (8). Corruption is using power to act in narrow self-interest and indicates a lack of self-control which can spill into other relationships and cause damage to those relationships. But Keltner also found that if the person in a position of power has the sense of being watched, then this will mitigate against corruption tendencies. In fact, research shows that a leader who practices EQ is more likely to not act on the opportunity for corruption in a position of power (9).

EQ is needed to pursue the three cognitive elements and four affective elements of fulfillment (10,11). One cognitive element of fulfillment is self-actualization. Self-actualization is pursuing your purpose with a love of others and a spirit of exploration while relying on safety, self-esteem, and connection to support the journey. A love of others and connection takes the EQ skill of understanding the emotions of others. Another cognitive element of fulfillment is legacy with lasting impact. Leaving a legacy includes clarifying and focusing on what really matters to you, serving others, embracing lifelong learning, seeking feedback and mentorship, and adapting to technological and societal changes. Seeking feedback and serving others takes the EQ skills to navigate both your own emotions and the emotions of others in a way that is appropriate and helpful to a challenging situation. The third cognitive element of fulfillment is worthwhileness. Worthwhileness results from summoning our inner hero or talents to help others fulfill their destiny. The EQ ability to navigate both your emotions and the emotions of others in a way that is appropriate and helpful to a challenging situation is needed to use our talents to help others. Finally, the four affective components of fulfillment; being in harmony, gratitude, contentment, and free-of-regret; take the EQ skill of understanding your emotional state.

Summary

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is more powerful than position because using positional power to influence others leads to lower performance and less discretionary effort than using EQ to influence the behavior of others. Positional power is an outdated form of leadership in the military and in business for a reason – the use of positional power produces sub-optimal results. The world has gotten too complicated for one person to make the best decisions because one person cannot see the myriads of options and consequences. An example of using EQ to influence others is the use of expert power or trust and referent power or character to drive others to want to work with you. EQ also distinguishes top job candidates, top performers, and top promotion candidates in organizations. Finally, EQ skills are a pre-requisite for the pursuit of fulfillment while positional power is a pre-requisite to corruption that can spill over to and damage other relationships. Fortunately, the use of EQ skills and the accountability of being watched can help a positional leader mitigate against the universal tendency for corruption.

References:

1. Dogru Ç (2022), A Meta-Analysis of the Relationships Between Emotional Intelligence and Employee Outcomes, Front. Psychol. 13:611348, doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.611348
2. Bradberry T., “Emotional intelligence — EQ,” Forbes 2014, January 9 at (accessed 3/11/2025): https://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2014/ 01/09/emotional-intelligence/#1ba221e01ac0
3. https://www.marchonpartners.com/blog-post/170/the-importance-of-emotional-intelligence-in-hiring-10-tips-for-managers
4. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mngoddard_linkedinnewseurope-recruitment-jobinterviews-activity-7177952541777784834-s2Ff/
5. https://www.inc.com/inc-masters/2-emotional-intelligence-factors-linked-to-higher-salaries.html
6. Adapted from “5 Shades of Power: The Organizational Taboo” workshop presented by Dr. Drea Zigarmi and Dr. Taylor Peyton Roberts at the Annual Association for Talent Development meeting on May 8, 2018.
7. Stephen M.R. Covey. The Speed of Trust: the One Thing that Changes Everything. New York: Free Press, 2008.
8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HS9VHBlYklc
9. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3727880
10. The Science and Practice of Fulfillment: How to Apply Research Findings from Positive Psychology to Improve Happiness and Contentment by Valerie Patrick, PHD at https://valerie-s-site-68ec.thinkific.com/products/courses/science-and-practice-of-fulfillment
11. Baumann D and Ruch W (2022). Measuring What Counts in Life: The Development and Initial Validation of the Fulfilled Life Scale (FLS). Front. Psychol. 12:795931. doi:0.3389/fpsyg.2021.795931